The Unknown End
by neko-nya
Summary: The waters of the Unknown End have always been off-limits to the townspeople. Known as a place lurking full of unseen dangers and legendary monsters, Kurogane could hardly pass up the offer to explore the place. Of course, he never expected anything to follow him back. (KF, SS, Mer!AU)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Leaning against the balcony edge, crimson eyes glance skyward to study the looming grey clouds in the distance, shuffling closer, growing bigger, pushed by turbulent winds up above. Despite their imminent approach, if he's not mistaken, the rain won't arrive until well into the week, which gives him four days if he's lucky. And given the pressure in the air, already heavy and palpable, when all that pent up energy is finally released, the resulting storm will be the talk of the town for years to come.

Four days.

That gives him less than half a week to get his work done.

He shifts his attention over towards the 'Unknown End' where the headland at the other end of the bay stands. Even from where he stands, he can faintly make out the sea stacks at the end of the cliff. It doesn't take much speculation to imagine just how fierce the waves are as they crash into large, jutting rocks and stacks. He can't help but lick his lips in anticipation of his upcoming challenge.

The waters of the Unknown End have always been off-limits to the townspeople. While many explorers have made the long, arduous trip by land, meticulously charting out their paths with maps in the hopes of coming across some great treasure, those who managed to make the trip back have all returned disappointed and empty-handed.

The sea, however, is a different story.

According to local legend, only one man has ever survived to tell the tale after his ship sank, leaving him stranded on the other side. Not even the strongest and most skilled of sailors are willing to risk their lives by cutting too close to the headland. There have been endless stories of giant beasts and serpents and other indescribable monsters lurking in the depths, waiting to sink unsuspecting ships and pull sailors to their deaths.

The sky's getting lighter as the sun rises in the horizon, blurring the sky with soft purples and oranges. He turns and retreats back inside to his study where a large aquarium stands. Designed and commissioned as a gift from his benefactor, he was given the tank but also the task to fill it. Though it still stands empty, he has every plan to look for and fill it with fish and marine plants of every kind to his liking.

He's not one for idleness, but he imagines that watching the colourful array of fish swimming around their reef will have a certain relaxing quality to it. And being unable to be at sea as often as he'd prefer, the aquarium would be like having a piece of the ocean waiting for him at home.

There's a knock at the door.

"What?" he grunts.

Two women walk in, the younger with a serene smile on her face. "Kurogane, I thought you'd be in here. You have a very important job ahead of you. I trust you're ready to make the trip?"

He nods and crosses his arms. "Like I'd let this chance slip away for an extra minute of sleep. I'm just waiting for the kid to get back."

"I know I've given you permission to go, but do be careful out there," Tomoyo tells him.

"Whatever. Of course I'll make sure the ship comes back in one piece, Tomoyo. You're the one who insisted it just be drop off and a minimal research expedition."

"Kurogane! That's no way to talk to the mistress!" Souma chides.

Tomoyo raises a hand to stop them. "It's alright, Souma. Even though you're so thoughtful and kind, I guess I can't expect everyone to be like you," she says, pretending to wipe a tear from her eye. Then, more seriously, she says, "Kurogane, I wouldn't stay there any longer than necessary if I were you. My biggest concern is for you to come back in one piece yourself."

He scoffs and barely stifles his eye roll. "I'm the strongest sailor and fighter in this place; we both know that. If anyone can get that cargo ship to its destination, detour to the Unknown End on the way back, and make it back out alive, it's probably me." A smirk. "And even if there are pirates or monsters out there, I'll just have to cut through them all with my sword."

"You are indeed the strongest person around, but for all that you are strong, I'm afraid your swords alone won't always be enough," Tomoyo says quietly. She shakes her head and smiles. "Perhaps you'll come to realize the true meaning of strength through your journey."

"What are you talking about now? What journey? I'll be gone for less than a week," he complains, brows furrowed. "You're overreacting. Like I said, it's just a drop off and a measly research expedition."

There's another knock at the door. "Kurogane-san? The carriage is ready for us. Are you ready to go?" a boy's voice comes through.

"Alright, I'm coming," he calls out, stalking over towards the door. Looking back over his shoulder, he barks, "If you have nothing else to say, it sounds like it's finally time for me to leave. I'll be back later."

Souma throws her hands in the air in exasperation. "Kurogane! Watch your tone!"

Kurogane rolls eyes and sighs, "So, are we done or not, Tomoyo?"

At his impatience, Tomoyo merely smiles and raises a hand. "May the fates guide you back safely."

Not wanting to waste any more time on snide remarks in response to that, he merely nods. Making his way out the door, he looks over at Syaoran, his student and first-mate and gestures at the front door. "C'mon, kid. Let's go."

The boy nods eagerly and follows him out the mansion towards the carriage he had prepared. He makes a face at the vehicle. Riding in a carriage never ceases to make him uncomfortable. Not only do the walls severely limit his field of vision, but the worst part has to be how absolutely _gaudy_ he feels in this thing. If it wasn't for the fact that he had to discuss the day's plan with Syaoran, he would've ridden up front with the driver or gone down to the docks on his own horse.

"Are you ready for this?" he asks.

Syaoran dips his head. "Yes! To be honest, I was so excited, I could barely sleep last night."

Not that he can blame the boy for his excitement, but he arches a brow anyway. "It better not affect your work."

"I promise it won't," the boy says earnestly. "I mean, we can't afford to slip up with the incoming storm and all, especially once we're at the Unknown End, right?"

He nods. "That's right. Besides, I'm sure the princess will be waiting for your return at the docks even if it takes all week. I have no intention of being the one to face her if something were to happen to you."

Face flushing at the mention of his childhood friend and lifelong crush, Syaoran stares at his hands in his lap. "Do you really think she'll wait for us?"

Kurogane snorts. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's already there, waiting to send us off. But never mind that for the moment, you can blush and stammer all you want when you see her. You know what our job is, right?"

Syaoran dips his head. "We're escorting a cargo ship with emergency supplies to the next town over to help them prepare for the storm, and if we can beat the storm with time to spare, we've been commissioned to do a small research expedition at the Unknown End."

"You got it. For now, let's focus on the first half and getting in and out of that town as fast as possible. I told you to chart out a route, didn't I?" From his pocket, he pulls out a tube containing his map and taps the boy's head with it. "I charted one too, so let's compare itineraries and see how well you did."

* * *

Arriving at the docks, the two of them step out of the carriage to hear their names being called. Kurogane watches as a girl with amber hair and bright green eyes comes running up to them with a warm smile on her face.

"You're here early," he says instead of returning the greeting

"Of course! I wouldn't miss your send off for the world!" she replies, her voice earnest and sincere.

Kurogane shoots Syaoran an 'I told you so' look. "It's not that big of a deal. It's just a quick trip," he tells her. "We'll be going full speed there and back, so we should be back in a couple of days."

Sakura shakes her head. "But it's a _very_ big deal! You'll also be going to the Unknown End, won't you? The whole town knows about it!"

The boy nods. "Only time and weather permitting though."

She takes his hands and takes a step forward. "The Unknown End is such a dangerous and lonely place, so please be careful out there, Kurogane-san, Syaoran-kun. I'll definitely be here, waiting for you, when you get back."

"Sakura-hime, it looks like a storm is on its way. You should stay inside that day. You don't have to come out to wait for us," Syaoran says.

"Yeah, there's no need to worry. I'll be sure to get this kid back to you safely, princess," Kurogane reassures her. As much as he hates to admit it, even he's not completely immune to her charms.

Sakura shoots him a pout. "Syaoran-kun, how many times do I have to tell you to just call me Sakura? And Kurogane-san, I'm not a princess. How come you address my brother properly but not me?"

"Because it's easier than calling you 'Younger Reed'," he says with a shrug and starts walking towards his ship to give the two some privacy. "We're leaving soon, so don't take too long, you two. And remember: you're in public."

The two heat up to interesting shades of red and immediately quickly begin stammering their sheepish goodbyes. Feeling like he's done his share of teasing, he ignores them in favour of checking on the preparations. Stroking the side of the ship as he walks by, he can feel the winds picking up.

He hops onboard to see the skeleton crew he'd asked Tomoyo for: a dozen of her best for the best ship in the fleet—the Suwa. A minute later, Syaoran comes running to his side, his cheeks still aglow. Kurogane nods and begins barking out orders to the crew. Within moments, the anchors are raised and the sails hoist and the ship slowly begins making its way out of the harbour to meet their escortee.

* * *

It takes them a little longer than expected to reach the next town, which doesn't surprise him in the least. Even with the Suwa, tacking into the wind is slow going, and when accompanying a bulky cargo vessel, the best they could do was inch forward at an agonizing pace. Luckily, they still arrived on time and left as soon as their client's ship entered the harbour.

Finally, it was time for the more exciting part of this job.

* * *

Out in the ocean with the wind in his face, he watches as the headland grows steadily closer now that they're travelling downwind. Twirling his spyglass around his fingers idly, he only hopes that the storm won't sneak up on them while they're at the Unknown End. As great as the ship is, the Suwa's still no match for the merciless sea stacks that line the headland.

"I've heard of some many stories about the Unknown End, but I never imagined I'd get a chance to explore it. Do you think we'll be alright? What do you think is out there, Kurogane-san?" Syaoran asks from beside him.

"Who knows? That's what we're here to find out," he answers. "We'll have to drop the anchors soon. The waves are too rough out there. The ship will sink before we ever get close enough."

"That's probably a good idea," the boy agrees. "Do you see anything interesting?"

Raising the spyglass to his eye, he surveys the stacks. "I don't know, you and I have very different ideas on what might be interesting. There are rocks, water, and more rocks—" He does a double take when a glimmer of gold and blue catches his eye.

"Kurogane-san?"

"I think I see something on one of the rocks," he says, focusing the spyglass. "Hold on."

As soon as the words leave his mouth, a soft melody reaches his ears. It's a beautiful tune in a language he's never heard before, full of sounds he can't imagine a human reproducing. The notes feel light and airy as float by. He imagines that if he looks hard enough, he'd be able to see them dancing and twirling around as they're carried off by the wind.

The sound of the waves fades.

The sound of the wind hitting the sails fades.

All the noise around him becomes muted save the song, and all he can do is stand there and listen, entranced

Then, just as suddenly as it started, the song stops.

Snapping out of his daze, Kurogane looks up only to see the ship drifting towards the rocks and quickly turns the wheel and begins giving out orders, breaking the rest of the crew free of whatever spell they had just fallen under.

"What do you think that was, Kurogane-san? You heard the song too, didn't you? What could've done something like that?" Syaoran asks after the ship has finally been steered back on course.

He raises his spyglass once more, honing in on the speck of gold—now revealing the vague shape of a person. "I don't know. We'll find out soon enough. Drop the anchors!" he calls out. Then, turning to the boy, he gestures at the rowboat. "Kid, you're coming with me. We're taking the dinghy out."

Syaoran's eyes widen. "To the Unknown End? The waves are too strong, we'll probably end up hitting the rocks."

Kurogane shakes his head. "We don't have a choice. I need you to come do the research and we can't go out in this ship; it'd never make it back in one piece. We'll attach two ropes to the dinghy: one tied to the ship to keep us from getting to close, and the other with the crew in case we need to beat a hasty retreat. Unless that singing starts again, these guys should be able to get us out of the water in no time flat."

"Should we really be going out there?"

"Yeah, we can't back down now, even though it looks like this whole expedition is turning out to be a lot more of a hassle than I'd originally thought." Then, smirking, he adds, "Besides, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner you can get back to the princess."

Face heating up, Syaoran quickly runs to retrieve the rope.

* * *

The waves are still on their side as they set out for the Unknown End in their rowboat. He tries not to let the thought of having to row against the current on the way back trouble him too much—yet.

The dinghy suddenly lurches back as it reaches the end of the rope.

"Alright kid, this is as close as the boat's gonna get, so you better get to work. That scientist wanted specimens and as detailed observations," Kurogane says, double checking the ropes.

Syaoran immediately takes out his notebook and tools to make observations while Kurogane takes out his spyglass to look for the golden figure he had seen earlier. Look as he may, he doesn't see it anywhere. He curses their position and wishes they could move the dinghy to somewhere with a better vantage point.

"Kurogane-san, this is really strange. It seems like the water is significantly calmer underneath the surface. I can see smaller fish swimming around just fine down there," the boy says, looking down a long glass tube.

"Hmm, that's good to know," he mutters. "Hey, the wind's picking up again; don't lean over too far or you'll fall in." Of course, right after he says that, a large wave crashes against the side of the boat, throwing the boy overboard. He watches as the boy gets swept up by the current, pulling him away from the boat. "Really? What did I _just_ say?"

Kurogane grits his teeth and throws his sword down. He kicks his boots off and shrugs his jacket off and grabs the spare rope they had brought with them. He ties one end around his waist and the other to the boat and jumps into the water. Hanging onto the side of the boat, he looks around. "Oi, kid, where'd you go?"

There's a gasp from the other side of the dinghy. "Kurogane-san?"

"Over here."

"Looks like I overshot it," he hears Syaoran say. "I was right, though, this turbulence is very superficial. I didn't have to dive very far down to reach calmer waters. And, Kurogane-san?"

"What?"

The boat rocks as the boy climbs back onboard. He pokes his head out from the edge and reports, "I think I saw something when the current carried me away, something on the rocks over there. But I think I must've been mistaken."

Interest perked, he asks, "What do you think you saw?"

"I don't...something like a person? But that's not possible, is it?"

"A person you say? Sounds interesting. I'll be right back." He lets go of the boat and lets the current carry him off.

"Wait, where are you going!?" Syaoran asks, eyes wide.

"I'll go see whether it really was a person or not. You just concentrate on doing your research and don't fall in again. I'll yank on the rope twice if I need you to pull me back, got it?"

Before Syaoran can voice his protests, he dives down deep into the water, going beneath the waves. Much to his surprise, as his student said, the water was considerably calmer below. Holding his breath, he begins swimming towards the direction of the current.

Surfacing, he looks around for the person Syaoran mentioned. Spotting a haze of gold nearby, he wipes the salt water out of his eyes and looks again, squinting to further focus his vision. Sure enough, a few rocks away, suspended on a smaller sea stack, is the person with its eyes trained on him, wide and full of fear and surprise. He dives down again and continues swimming, not wanting to surface too often or too close to the stacks lest a wave catch him off guard.

Below him, there's nothing but the endless darkness of the ocean with the occasional fish meandering about aimlessly. Trailing behind him is the rope, and lengthy as it is, he hopes it'll extend far enough for him to properly investigate the area. Finally unable to hold his breath any longer, he surfaces to take a breath and to orientate himself.

When he looks around again, he finds himself facing the stack and the figure. His words fail him when he finally sees up close what he had an inkling of but denied all along.

A tail.

"This can't be real," he mutters, spitting out seawater.

A sudden wave sweeps him into the stack and the rope starts drawing taut. Not wanting to get swept into anything else, Kurogane reaches up and pulls himself out of the water. Another large wave hits the stack, spraying him all over with water and nearly knocking him right off. He can already imagine the fit Tomoyo will throw when he reports this back to her.

She'll call his actions unnecessarily reckless and she might even be right this time.

Not that he'd ever admit it out loud.

Finding a steady foothold, he pulls the knife he brought along from its sheath and holds it between his teeth as he continues inching his way closer towards the creature. Despite the wind and waves, he manages to get close enough to it to examine it more closely.

Bound by seaweed to the rock, the creature stares back in silence. There are fins flattened against the side of its arms and tail, and long, golden hair draped over its flat torso. Despite it clearly not being human, Kurogane can't help but think it beautiful.

The creature's light blue eyes narrow and study him back with equal intensity. Its frown deepens and the creature opens its mouth.

He brings up his free hand, ready to cover his ear should it start singing, but instead, all it says is:

 _"Leave."_

* * *

A/N: Mer!AU's are always so fun to read so I wanted to give it a go as well. And here's my take of it! This story's been stewing in my brain for quite a while now, so I figured it was about time to get it written and posted now that I've reread TRC for the billionth time. I see this site's changed its format for new stories again. How interesting. Hope you all enjoy! Why are summaries so hard to write?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Kurogane takes the knife from his mouth and gapes. "What?"

"Flee 'ere they espy thee."

His mind goes blank for a moment, trying to process those words. "What? Wait, who's 'they'?"

"Go!"

Sensing the urgency in its voice, he nods. Before diving back into the water, he glances back at the creature, and without thinking, he takes his knife and through the seaweed binding it. It takes a moment before the creature's eyes widen in realization as it drops back into the ocean with a neat splash.

"This better not get me killed," he mutters to himself, tugging on the rope around his waist twice and diving back into the water.

As he begins swimming back towards the dinghy, something suddenly wraps itself around his arm and pulls forward at a speed he never imagined possible. Water rushes past him and just as he begins running out of air, he's all but thrown back up to the surface. Completely disoriented, he can hear Syaoran calling his name from somewhere nearby.

Coughing and sputtering, he gropes around blindly for the dinghy, only finding it when Syaoran manages to get a hold of his arm and helps him back up.

"Kurogane-san! Thank goodness you're alright! You suddenly disappeared and the rope went slack! I thought something happened to you," Syaoran exclaims, helping him out of the water. "What happened out there? How'd you get back so fast? Did you see anything? Did you see the person? Was it a person?"

He shakes his head and unties the rope around his waist. "Never mind that for now, kid. We can talk about this later. Get your things out of the water. We've gotta get out of here." He gestures at his crew to start pulling and takes hold of the oars and begins rowing. "Staying any longer than necessary is a bad idea," he mutters the familiar words to himself.

Despite the waves working against them, they made good time returning to the ship. It felt almost as though something was pulling their dinghy along. Heart pounding from the adrenaline, he can feel his shoulders sag with relief when they finally climb back onto the safety of the ship.

"Set sail for home," he orders, his arms throbbing from the row. "We need to go _now_."

"Aye aye, sir!" The men quickly scramble to their stations, raising the anchor and hoisting the sails.

After changing into a dry set of clothes, he pulls his boots back on and makes his way over to the wheel. "Did you get a lot of research done?" he asks Syaoran.

"Yes! Although I would've liked to have more time, I managed to gather a lot of samples and took notes on the area," the boy replies, clearly pleased. "That little swim really helped, actually."

"That's good, I guess. Hope you got your fill because I doubt we'll be coming back again," Kurogane says.

Syaoran frowns, a mixture of disappointment and concern. "What happened out there, Kurogane-san? Did you see the person I was talking about?"

He rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah, but I'm not entirely sure I would call that person a person. I know what I saw, but I'm having a hard time believing it myself. It was a person with a fish tail."

"A mermaid!?"

"I don't think the 'maid' part's right." Kurogane thinks for a moment before adding with a shrug, "But then again, I can't exactly say it's wrong either. Hell, for all I know, it could've been a maid. Well, it doesn't matter now. It's not like we can go around town talking about it; we'll just attract unwanted attention to ourselves."

"Was it the one that was singing?" Syaoran presses.

He shrugs again. "Probably. I didn't see anything else around that could've been the culprit. Besides, it definitely had the intelligence for it," he says.

Eyes wide with admiration, Syaoran asks, "So you interacted with it, Kurogane-san? I couldn't see you at all from the boat."

"This better stay between you and me, but yeah, it was only for a minute though. It spoke in a really outdated way, like 'ere' and 'thee'."

Syaoran leans in a little closer, barely able to contain his excitement. "Do you think that means it's had contact with humans before? I don't see why else it would understand our language given the circumstances. The singing sounded nothing like any language I've ever heard."

"Who knows? If it did, it must've been ages ago if it's still using such archaic words," he says.

"Wouldn't that mean that their lifespan is incredibly long? Or, perhaps it's because they pass on knowledge from one to another like we do? If that was the case, then there'd probably be quite a few of them who'd be able to communicate with us! Kurogane-san, what do you think?" Syaoran asks, determined to squeeze every last detail out of him, no doubt, to add to his mental encyclopedia of the world.

Kurogane shakes his head. "Hell if I know. I didn't exactly sit down and interview it over tea. I got to it, it told me to run, so I cut it loose and did as I was told."

"It was tied up?"

"Yeah, it mentioned a 'they', so there might've been something else in the water. From what I gather, 'they' probably aren't friendly." As he said it, he realized how out of character it was for him to retreat like that. But all the same, he remembers the urgency in the creature's voice and how it had spurred him to act without thinking.

The boy leans against the railing and sighs, "So it really was trying to help us then? I hope it's alright."

With the wind finally on their side, pushing them forward, it won't take them very long to get home. He glances back towards the Unknown End, now overcast with ominous grey clouds and growing smaller in the distant by the minute, and he thinks about the beautiful creature he had seen and talked to for a brief moment. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now," he mutters.

Tomorrow, this will feel like nothing more than a dream. Sure, he'll have claim to the first successful expedition to the Unknown End, but other than that, nothing will change. His strength won't change. His work won't change. He'll go back to his daily routine, and Tomoyo will go and make his work just a little bit harder somehow. He'll say something unsavory, and Souma will scold him for it.

Everything will be back to normal.

"There's no point in dwelling on it. Staying any longer than necessary would've been a bad idea," he mutters the familiar words to himself.

* * *

The sun is beginning to set and the skies are growing grey when the town finally appears in the distance. At once, the tension on the ship dissipates and the men all begin cheering for their successful journey however short it was.

Upon returning back to the harbour, as expected, Sakura's on the docks, waiting for them.

"Syaoran-kun! Kurogane-san! You made it back! Are you alright? Everyone made it back safely, right?" the girl asks.

"Everyone's safe and sound," Syaoran reassures her. "Kurogane-san and I even got to go up close to the Unknown End."

Sakura's eyes widen. "Really? What was it like? Wasn't it dangerous?"

"Oi, instead of standing around and chatting, why don't you two talk while you bring the samples over to the scientist's place before the storm hits?" Kurogane says. "He's the one who commissioned the detour after all."

"Of course, Kurogane-san! I'll take them over to his office right now!"

"I can help too!" Sakura offers.

Syaoran hesitates. "Are you sure? You don't have to. I can carry them."

She crosses her arms and pouts. "But I want to! Just give me something to carry, Syaoran-kun. I can do it. Besides, you have to tell me all about your trip."

He chuckles and walks past them, ruffling their hair on the way. "Best not to argue with the princess on this, kid. I'll meet you two at the tavern after you finish reporting to the guy." Before leaving, he shoots Syaoran a pointed look.

The boy nods in agreement.

But then, just to tease the poor boy, he adds, "Don't forget to tell the princess about how you fell into the water at the Unknown End."

As expected, Sakura immediately gasps. "Syaoran-kun, you did _what_!?"

Feeling immensely satisfied, he walks off, giving the two their space. He considers finding Tomoyo to report his findings to her, but decides against it. If she didn't come out to meet him, then she's probably in the middle of some important business meeting anyway. He doesn't feel inclined to barge in on a meeting full of people who ask far too many questions. And with Souma there to guard her, he has no cause for worry. The report will just have to wait until he can meet with her privately.

They live in the same place anyway, and it's not like the facts will change overnight.

Making his way down the streets, Kurogane can't help but replay the short trip in his head again. With the journey to the town and back eating up majority of the trip, the time he actually spent at the Unknown End felt like mere minutes in comparison.

But then again, remembering the song that had lulled them so close to the rocks, mere minutes were all it would've taken for them to wind up dead as so many others had. And at the same time, within those mere minutes, he got to speak to a creature that he thought only existed in stories, something his brain still refuses to fully accept.

Those mere minutes made up in excitement where they lacked in length, he decides.

At the end of the road, he veers off the path and pushes past some shrubbery to find a faint trail of fallen leaves and broken twigs. Following it, he makes his way over to a hidden gem of a cove he discovered when he first arrived, and with the exception of Tomoyo (purely in case of emergencies), no one else seems to have uncovered it yet.

To the other side of the cove is another trail leading to a steep climb, up the cliff face, directly to where his house stands. He considered developing it and adding in stairs to make the trip easier, but figured it'd be counterproductive and attract unwanted attention, which is the last thing he wants for the cover, so he never got around to it.

With the storm clouds looming ever closer and the wind picking up speed, he doesn't have as much time as he'd like to fully enjoy the scenery. Letting out a long sigh, he tries to let go of everything that happened in the last few hours to focus on the present. He's about to sit down on the sand when a sudden movement catches his attention. Hands moving towards to unsheathe his sword instinctively, he calls out, "Who's there? Show yourself."

He quickly realizes that he's facing the water and immediately wonders if maybe he was more on edge from the trip than he'd previously thought.

But then, from the water, a figure slowly emerges.

Watching it appear from the waves, Kurogane does a double take and readjusts the sword in his hand, unable to believe his eyes. With a soft smile on its lips, the creature he encountered earlier, or, he's pretty sure it's the same one, approaches him. He can feel no malice from the creature, but all the same, he remains unsure of what action to take when confronted by a creature out of folklore, so he holds his ground and waits.

The creature continues drawing nearer until half its torso is above the water. At first glance, if he didn't know any better and hadn't seen the matted fins, he would've thought it a human. Now partially out of the water, it waits and watches him, making itself clear that it doesn't intend to get any closer. Despite its smile, the atmosphere around the creature is tense, and from its stance, Kurogane can see that it's ready to bolt at a moment's notice.

Uncertain as to what step to take next, he rubs the back of his head with his free hand and looks around, hoping for a clue. When no ideas pop into his mind, he turns back to the creature and takes a step out towards the water. "You're the one from earlier, aren't you?" he says, projecting his voice. "Look, I'm gonna walk towards you now. I won't hurt you so long as you do anything weird."

He sheaths his sword as a gesture of good will and shoots it a pointed look. The creature doesn't move and merely blinks curiously at him. Taking that as a sign of encouragement, he continues. He wades into the water until he's knees-deep and makes his stop there. Any further and he's just asking to be attacked and dragged underwater.

Either way, the two of them are definitely within earshot now, at least.

"I'm not going in any deeper. You can understand me, right? I heard you speaking earlier," Kurogane says, making sure to enunciate his words.

"Thou speaketh in a manner I…know not?" the creature says, clearly out of practice and struggling to find the words.

Kurogane nods slowly. "Yeah, I'm not surprised. I'm having a bit of trouble understanding you as well. It's been a while since people spoke like you."

At this, the creature looks down in thought. "Yet speaketh we alike also?"

Furrowing his brows and trying to wrap his head around the archaic words, he's pretty sure he's in over his head. If only Syaoran was here to translate; the kid's always had a knack and interest for languages and cultures. Hell, if he was here now, he'd probably be frothing at the mouth from excitement.

"Yes, in the sense that we're speaking mostly the same language, but we don't use 'thou' or 'thee' anymore, we just use 'you'. No 'eth' at the end of words either." He shakes his head and sets himself back on track. "Never mind that for now though; I understand you and that's good enough. You...you know what I'm saying, right?"

"Ay, I trow."

He frowns, the word drawing a blank. "Right. That's good, I guess. Say, do you have a name?"

The creature dips its head. "Ay...yes. Alas, t'is...long to say. You may call me Fai."

Blinking, he's momentarily taken aback at the change in the other's speech to incorporate his earlier feedback. Behind those sapphire blue eyes, he can now clearly see the intelligence the creature possesses. "I'm Kurogane," he returns.

At once, Fai's ears seem to perk at the name. "Ku-ro-ga-ne? 'Tis long also. Mayest I call you Kuro-pi? Methinks 'tis quite nice."

" _What_?" he all but shouts, unable to hide his surprise and disdain. "No! I don't care what you think! You can call me Kurogane like everybody else, you stupid fish!"

Fai makes a face. "I am not a stupid fish."

He scoffs. "And I'm not Kuro whatever you said." Not too far in the distance, thunder rumbles, announcing the storm's arrival. He clicks his tongue, wishing he had more time, but he's expected at the tavern. Sifting through his thoughts, he picks out the most pressing questions and asks, "What are you and why are you here anyway? I doubt you came all this way just to chat. Speaking of, how do you know our language? And you were tied up earlier too, what was that about?"

Brows furrowing in bemusement, Fai pauses for a moment to gather the words. "So many questions, Kuro-ta. Prithee, ask slower?"

"Oh, my bad," he mutters, slowing down. "I have to go soon, but I guess I better start with: what are you?"

The sounds that come from the creature's mouth aren't ones he can ever hope to reproduce. "But erst, I was called 'mer'?"

"Well, I'm not sure that's entirely correct, but if you don't care, then I suppose it'll do for now. It's not like I have a better word for it anyway," he says, scratching his cheek. "What about things like gender? Men and women? Girls and boys? Do you have things like that?" he asks, unsure of what to call the mer in his head other than 'it' and the 'damn fish'—though he suspects that the latter has already been ingrained into his brain.

"Nay," Fai answers.

"No as in 'we don't have anything like that', or as in 'I don't understand'?"

"The two?"

"Both?" Kurogane frowns and crosses his arms in thought, trying to come up with a way to explain it in a way that doesn't require him sketching out human genitalia in the sand. The other's appearance and name weren't exactly telling, though, he supposes he shouldn't be surprised given that he's speaking to a _mer_. "What about mothers and fathers? Where do little mer come from?"

Fai blinks, amused. "We are of the sea."

"Yes, but—oh, you know fish, right?"

"Yes."

"The girl fish is the one that lays the eggs—the baby fish—most of the time, she's the mother. The other one's the boy fish, he's the father."

"I understand. But 'tis not a thing of import to us. The sea…lays? It lays us."

"You meant it literally?" he says incredulously. "Well, do you have a preference—one you like more—or something? Or maybe someone called you by before? Or, what should I call you? I can't just call you 'it' all the time."

Fai looks up and straight at him for a moment then raises a finger and points. "Then, same as Kuro-chi?"

"My name's _Kurogane_ ," he instinctively retorts. "Same as me, hmm? Alright then, I guess that makes you a guy until we find out otherwise then."

"A guy," Fai repeats, "like Kuro-mi."

Kurogane sends the mer a glare. "Why don't you spend some time learning my actual name instead of coming up with stupid variations of it?"

The mer merely smiles in reply.

"I don't know where you learned to smile like that, but it's pissing me off." A gust of wind snaps him out of his irritation and he looks up to see the grey clouds looming dangerously close. "Last question for now: why were you tied up when I saw you?"

"To die?" Fai answers more seriously. "Water is of import."

He arches a brow. "Yeah, I can imagine. They tied you up there to die a slow death then? I guess our people have something in common after all. You can't go back anymore, can you?"

"Nay. That would be…stupid."

Letting out something in between a scoff and a bark of laughter, Kurogane shrugs. "Well you're not wrong about that. Did they come after you?"

"Yes, they are," the mer points at the horizon, "waiting for the water to go up."

"They're waiting for high tide to come in, hmm? Will you be safe here—at least for a little while?"

Fai glances back towards the horizon again. "Yes, at least for a little while."

"So I've got until the water goes up, hmm? That should be a while unless…" He glances up at the sky again. "Look, I have to go for now or people will come looking for me, but I'll be back later for you, I swear it. I," he looks around for a more concrete measure of time, "I promise I'll be back before the rain starts, so just stay there!"

With another pointed look, he reluctantly turns around and wades back to dry land.

* * *

When he steps into the tavern, a small, cozy place tucked away in between two larger stores. The inside might be small, but it's warm and welcoming, and the drinks are second to none. There, he's met with raised glasses and cheers.

"Look, it's the Unknown Explorer!"

"What a horrible and misleading title!"

"I thought you would've been the first one in here, boss!"

The bartender hands him a beer and effectively quells whatever retort he was about to throw back. "So I hear you're the hero of the hour," the bartender says. "Tell you what, I'll let you have half of your drinks on the house."

"Only half?" he complains half-heartedly.

"Well, even though you're one of my best customers, I can't have you drinking me out of business now, can I?"

Raising his beer, he chuckles. "Fair enough. Can't argue with you on that one." Momentarily subdued with the promise of more alcohol, he takes a seat at the bar and starts drinking. He won't have nearly as much time to drink as he'd like if he's to keep his promise to the mer.

Kurogane shakes his head to himself, still unable to fully believe it.

An actual mer.

And one that can speak no less.

Tilting his head back, he guzzles down the rest of his drink and signals at the bartender for the next.

"Oh, it looks like you're getting a good start to the night," a woman suddenly says. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were _worried_ about something."

He scowls and turns to direct a glare at the newcomer. There's nothing he hates more than not being able to sense a person's approach. "You definitely don't know better, witch."

Yuuko laughs, unfazed by his attitude. "Of course, I'm just a lowly shopkeeper after all."

That's her answer every time, but he's yet to find her store anywhere in town. As aggravating as it is, no one else seems to doubt her claim. "Yeah? Got anything good worth bartering for?" he tries.

"So forward of you, Kurogane," she teases. "If you have to ask then I probably don't have anything for you yet."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're such a brute," Yuuko says with a mock pout, "if you wanted something, you'd probably just go and get it your own way."

He scoffs. "Of course! What other way is there? I'm not going to sit around and wait around for things to come to me like an idiot."

"And this is why we can't barter yet. Maybe when you have something you truly wish for… But this is hardly the right time to be talking about such things. Remember, there is no such thing as coincidences in this world. There is only hitsuzen," she says cryptically.

Kurogane rolls his eyes. "Something I truly wish for? I truly wish you'd leave me alone. Go back to that unlucky servant of yours."

She throws her head back and laughs again. "Fine, that can be arranged. But," she grabs the drink right out of his hand and walks away, "everything comes with a price, Kurogane."

He scowls and would've chased after her with his sword swinging if the bartender didn't immediately hand him another.

The next hour passes easily with him downing drink after drink while answering people's questions about his latest expedition. Outside, the air grows more humid and hums with static in anticipation of the incoming storm. Kurogane frowns and looks around impatiently when finally, the door opens, revealing Syaoran and Sakura.

"Took you two long enough," he says as the boy approaches him.

"Sorry," Syaoran immediately apologizes, "the scientist had a lot of questions for me."

"He seemed very interested in the wildlife there, didn't he?" Sakura adds.

Kurogane immediately arches a brow and glances at Syaoran, who quickly reassures him, "He did, so I told him all I could about the fish and plant life we saw. He seemed satisfied with that."

"Good. By the way, you're not drinking tonight, kid," he says, shooting the other a meaningful look. "Can't have you drunk when there's still work to be done."

Syaoran looks confused but nods obediently anyway. "Of course, I understand."

Sakura, on the other hand, pouts. "You two still have work? That's not very fair; you've been working so hard for the last few days already. Can't it wait until after the storm passes? I'd hate for you to get caught up in it."

"Don't worry about us," Kurogane says. "It's just one last piece of cargo that we have to move. We wouldn't want to lose it to the sea, that's all. And your brother's here already, so he'll be taking you home later, princess."

"How many times do I have to say it, Kurogane-san? I'm not a princess," Sakura protests, accepting a drink from the bartender.

Eyes wide, Syaoran immediately waves his arms in attempt to stop the girl. "S-Sakura-hime, are you sure you should be drinking that?"

Another hour in, she's meowing happily at him while a flustered Syaoran tries to get her to stop. A flash a light lights up the skies for a moment, closely followed by a clash of thunder. The tavern's patrons all turn to the window and begin murmuring amongst themselves, each announcing their intention to leave after one last drink—or two.

Taking it as his cue, Kurogane stands up and grabs the girl by the waist and marches over to her brother and his companion. "She's all yours, Reed. The storm's about to hit, so you and the princess should head home soon. I've gotta go now. I'll see you around," he says curtly before turning around and leaving with Syaoran in tow.

* * *

"Kurogane-san, what's going on?" Syaoran finally asks while they're walking down the empty streets towards the stable. "We unloaded everything from the ship earlier."

"Yeah, that was obviously a lie," he says, gesturing for the other to pick up the pace. "C'mon, I don't have time to explain everything. You'll figure it out soon enough anyway."

At the stables, they retrieve their horses and carriage and move it outside. Hopping into the driver seat, Kurogane steers the carriage to the end of the road and pull to a stop. He hands the reins over to Syaoran and tells him, "Wait here, I'll be right back. When I get back, I need you to drive this straight back to the house, got it?"

Syaoran nods hesitantly. "I understand."

"Good."

Grabbing the bucket he took from the stables, Kurogane jogs down the hidden path to the cove as the first drops of rain start to fall. Above him, lightning colours the skies bright purple. Stopping at the edge of the water, he fills the pail and calls out, "Hey, you stupid fish, are you still there?"

In the distant, he sees a figure emerge from the water, drawing closer. "I am not a stupid fish, Kuro-pi."

"You can't stay here," he tells the mer. "You said that there are people waiting to kill you out there, right? Well, when the storm comes, the water will surge—or, it'll go up, and they'll be able to get you."

With a surprisingly calm look on his face, Fai asks, "What am I to do?"

"Come with me."

* * *

A/N: Here's the next chapter! Writing in broken Early Modern English was quite an experience. Hope I didn't butcher it too badly. Enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

"Come with me," he says. Even though he's been thinking about it for hours now, the words still sound ridiculous to him. He points to the cliff. "I live up there and I've got a carriage waiting for us."

"Carriage?"

Kurogane frowns, his brain trying its best to think of a way to explain carriages. "It's a cart drawn by horses. Or, a thing with wheels—no, wait, you know what? We don't have time for this. It's a thing that'll get us where we need to go. You'll understand when you see it."

"And water?"

"I have a large tank that will fit you," Kurogane says. "I don't expect you to stay there forever, but we can figure out what to do next from there. This way, you'll be safe from everything at least for a little while. If you stay here, you'll definitely die tonight."

Fai looks up at the cliff then back at the water. He raises his tail out of the water and points to the caudal fin. "I must keep this…not dry."

Kurogane looks around for ideas before pulling the wrap tied around his waist off and soaking it in the water. "It's not much, but if we wrap it around your fin, it should be enough until we get to the house, right? And I've got a bucket in case that dries up. It's better than nothing—probably. So? What will you do?"

Glancing back towards the horizon, Fai draws closer to the shore until only his tail remains in the water. "Alas, I cannot go back and I cannot stay, so I will go with Kuro-chi," he says.

The rain begins falling harder.

Instead of correcting the mer, he steps into the water and helps wrap up his tail. "Is there anything else that needs to stay wet?"

"Yes," the mer says, tilting his head back, exposing the gills at the top of his neck.

He knows he shouldn't be surprised, but he can't help but blink stupidly for a moment before pulling off his headband and dunking it into the water, glad for all the different layers of clothes Tomoyo made him wear. "That's all, right?" He hands over the piece of cloth. "Here, you can wrap it yourself."

Fai wraps the headband loosely around his neck and looks down at his wrapped tail. "Kuro-mu, why…?"

"Why am I helping you?" he finishes for the other. "You saved me earlier, didn't you? That's more than enough of a reason for me. There's no point dwelling on it though. Are you ready to go? We don't have much time left. I'm gonna have to carry you."

The mer nods and holds out his hands, revealing the webbing between his fingers.

He reaches down and scoops the other out of the water, taking a step back, surprised by the weight and the feel of the creature in his arms. Instead of skin, the entirety of the mer is covered in fine scales that grow larger as they run down his tail. The hair clinging to his clothes and hand is far thicker and coarser than he first thought—feeling more like long strands of seaweed than hair. He adjusts Fai's weight carefully so as to avoid damaging the delicate looking fins on his arms, back, and tail.

Glancing out to the distance, as lightning lights up the sky again, he swears he can make out gleaming eyes watching him from the waters. Not wasting any more time and sploshes back to the shore. On the way, he bends down and manages to hook the bucket handle with two fingers.

Fai curls up close to him and laughs. "Hyuu! Kuro-pi is so big and strong!"

"Shut up, I don't need a running commentary," he barks back. "Just hold on tight, you stupid fish."

The mer tightens his grip as he's told. Even as they leave, his eyes never leaving the water.

* * *

Kurogane manages to make his way back to the other side of the trees with minimal trouble. Before stepping out into the open, he glances around to make sure the streets are still empty and the windows around them closed. "Hey, kid, you there?" he calls, raising his voices to be heard over the downpour.

Syaoran pokes his head out from the driver seat of the carriage and gapes. "Kurogane-san! That's—"

"I know what this is," he hisses back. "Just open the door before someone sees!"

"Yes, of course!"

From his arms, Fai watches the boy with silent curiosity.

Or maybe it's wariness.

He doesn't feel particularly inclined to ask.

Hopping off his seat, Syaoran opens the passenger door and takes the bucket out of Kurogane's hand. "Where should I put this?"

"Just on the floor over there in case we need it," Kurogane instructs, awkwardly stepping into the carriage. Looking at Fai then the seat, he sits down, deciding not to let go of the mer in his arms. "We're going uphill," he explains, drawing the curtains over the windows. "If you sit on your own, you'll just end up flopping all over the place like a stupid fish and hurting yourself. Now, stay quiet until we get off."

Syaoran closes the door behind them and gets back on the driver's seat, still in a daze. "We're going now," he announces, tugging on the reins for the horses to move.

The horses whinny and start moving forward, pulling the carriage along.

From inside the carriage, unable to peer outside, the journey feels terribly slow. He can barely hear the sound of the horses' hooves hitting the ground over the storm. Sure, he knows the boy's taking the fastest route back, but the impatience still gnaws away at him. Without anything better to do, he rewets and reties the pieces of cloth around the mer's tail, taking care not to damage it.

Suddenly, the carriage comes to a halt.

* * *

Sitting outside in the driver's seat, Syaoran carefully steers the horses up the streets. With his range of sight cut off by the rain, he has no choice but to take it slowly. Even as the rain drips down his face, all he can think about is the creature sitting in the back with his master. Endless questions fill his mind as he drives, so much so that he nearly overlooks the person standing by the side of the road.

The man smiles ruefully and waves. Recognizing the man as the scientist he reported to earlier, he pulls the horses to a stop. "Hello, Syaoran-kun, sorry to bother you, but I'm afraid I got caught up in the rain myself. Would you be kind enough to give me a ride back? It's not very far."

"I'm afraid I can't," he says, raising his voice for Kurogane to hear. "Kurogane-san is in the back right now and instructed me to bring him straight home."

"Oh? It's rare for him to leave the pub so early."

"Yes, well, he had his concerns about getting caught in the storm." Syaoran continues, "I'm really sorry, sir, but I should go. Orders are orders, and I would hate to wake Kurogane-san up. This journey's been a particularly exhausting one."

"Of course, I understand. I'm sorry for holding you up. When you get back, please thank him again for the specimens he gave me, and let him know that I'm always willing to pay for more excursions so long as he's willing to sail out," the scientist says.

He nods and tugs on the reins again. "Thank you kindly, sir. I'll be sure to let him know. Please excuse us and goodnight."

Once the man's out of sight, he slumps in his seat and breathes a sigh of relief.

* * *

Kurogane leaps out of the carriage and makes his way through the garden to the backdoor as Syaoran steers the horses into the stables. Shifting Fai's weight over to one arm, he reaches into his pocket for his keys to unlock the door. Inside, he can hear the servants bustling about, finishing up for the day and frowns, trying to figure out which set of stairs to use.

Just then, the front door opens and Syaoran steps in, soaked from the rain. "E-excuse me, I'm back," he calls out.

The servants immediately gather around him to help him out of his wet clothes. Taking the opportunity, Kurogane kicks his shoes off and runs off to the side stairs and makes his way upstairs, going straight into his study. He pushes the door close behind him with his hip and makes his way over to the empty aquarium.

Outside, the wind and rain pound against the glass of the balcony doors, rattling the wooden frame and the glass. He hopes they'll be able to withstand the storm. Beyond the terrace, the ocean's surface has been reshaped by violent waves that eat away at everything they come into contact with, dragging any smaller boat still out down into the depths below.

With one foot, he drags his chair over from the desk and pushes it up against the tank. Stepping up on it, he inhales and lifts the mermaid over the side and drops him in. "This is where you'll have to stay for the time being. No one's allowed in here without my permission," he says.

Fai unwraps the pieces of cloth from his tail and neck and does a couple of turns in the tank as though exploring the limited space of his temporary shelter. He surfaces again and rests his arms on the edge. Handing back the cloth, he looks around the room and says, "This…'tis quite big."

Kurogane arches a brow. "The tank or the room or what?" he asks, gesturing at each respective word. He lights the lamp on his desk before retrieving his wrap and headband and wringing it out over the water. "Be more specific."

The mer taps at the glass with his fingers. "The…tank? 'Tis no sea, but 'tis nice."

Wiping the raindrops off his face, Kurogane scoffs. "This little thing's a pretty far cry from the sea."

"What is that 'little thing'? A small fire?" Fai asks, pointing at his kerosene lamp.

He blinks. "This lamp? What about it? How do you even know about fire?"

There's a soft knock on the door. "Kurogane-san? Sorry, I went ahead and dried off first."

Fai immediately falls quiet while he makes his way over to the door.

"Oh good," he says, opening the door to reveal Syaoran. "Kid, you can keep him company for a while. I'm gonna go dry off. I'll lock the door behind me. And you," he points at Fai, "you better behave yourself until I get back. Maybe I'll even bring some food back."

* * *

Returning to his room, he throws his wet clothes into the laundry basket for the maids to wash tomorrow. He takes a quick hot shower and changes into usual robes. Finally warmed and relaxed, he realizes only now how empty his stomach has gotten.

He makes his way down the stairs only to run into Tomoyo and Souma.

"Kurogane," she greets. "I'm glad you made it back safely. I'm sorry I wasn't there to greet you when you returned, but I trust the journey was a successful one?"

"Of course. Like it'd go any other way," he replies with a huff.

Souma frowns. "Kurogane, watch your tone!"

Tomoyo touches her arm gently and shakes her head. "Don't mind him, Souma. You can give me your report tomorrow morning after you've rested. For now, I've had the cook make you a platter of snacks, please enjoy them with Syaoran-kun."

He blinks at her foresight. "Oh, thanks."

"Oh, and Kurogane, next time you decide to sneak in through the back door, try not to leave a trail of water behind you. I didn't expect such sloppiness from you," Tomoyo teases.

"Shut up," he bites back. "Go to bed already."

"Kurogane!"

Tomoyo smiles. "Goodnight, Kurogane. I will see you in the morning."

After the girls leave, he stomps over to the kitchen and snatches the tray off the table along with a couple bottles of wine and makes his way back up the stairs. About half way up, he wonders how he'll word the 'returned to the house with a mer' part of his report. But then again, knowing Tomoyo and judging by the amount of food prepared, he wouldn't be surprised if she probably has a pretty good idea about the situation already.

* * *

When he returns to the study, he opens the door a crack only to find the fireplace lit and the two talking.

"Sky water? Oh, you must mean the rain!" Syaoran exclaims. "It's raining really hard right now, but we actually call this a storm since there's wind and thunder and lightning."

"Thunder? Lightning?"

Scribbling something down on a piece of paper, the boy explains, "Thunder is the sound you hear from the sky—the big 'boom'. And lightning is the flashes of light that normally comes before it; they sometimes look like this."

"Thunder is…big?" the mer tries.

"Do you mean loud?" Kurogane suggests, finally deciding to step inside.

Fai looks up at his approach and smiles. "Kuro-sama is back."

He arches a brow. "You're learning honorifics now?"

"Yes, I learned a good way to speak with people. Syaoran-kun is a very good teacher," the mer answers easily.

Syaoran immediately shakes his head. "Not at all, Fai-san, you're just a very fast learner, that's all!"

"But Syaoran-kun draws pictures for me," Fai presses.

Hiding the piece of paper behind his back, Syaoran looks down, his face flushed. "I'm afraid they're not very good at all."

Kurogane sets down the platter of food and takes off the lid to reveal a large array of food. He had a hunch that the kid would make a fine teacher—a far better one than him especially when it comes to languages. "That's fine. If the fish wants to learn and you want to teach, go ahead. But for now, I've got food and we all need to eat." He looks over at Fai. "Hey, what do you normally eat?"

"Fish," the mer replies easily.

"Well, we don't have any of that, so you'll just have to try new things tonight." He wolfs down some of the ham and cheese first before taking a slice and handing it to Fai. "Try it. It's cured meat."

"Cured meat," Fai repeats, taking a nibble and making a face.

He arches a brow. "What? You don't like the taste? It's supposed to be salty."

Looking confused, Fai stares at him. "Taste?"

"Yeah, I don't know how to explain taste, but here, try this," he says handing over an apple slice. "This one tastes sweet."

Fai's eyes widen. "I like sweet."

Kurogane huffs and takes a swig of his wine. "For some reason, I don't find that surprising at all."

Eating another slice of apple offered by Syaoran, Fai continues eyeing him. "Kuro-sama, what is that?"

He blinks. "What? This? It's wine."

"Wine? Mayest I…?"

"You wanna try some? I doubt fish are supposed to drink alcohol. But then again, I've never seen one eat cheese and fruit slices before either." He heaves a sigh and opens the bottom drawer of his desk, where the tumblers are. Normally, he only uses them when drinking from his secret stash of good, expensive liquor, but he wasn't about to go all the way downstairs again for a wineglass.

Pouring half a glass, he passes it over to the mer's outreached hand. Fai carefully takes the tumbler and examines it from all angles, nearly spilling the wine.

"It's a glass," he grumbles. "It's made of…glass. Hurry up and drink it before you end up dropping everything into the water."

Fai takes a sip. His eyes widen and he lets out a cough.

Kurogane has to suppress the urge to grin. "You probably shouldn't start off with something so strong."

The mer eyes him almost challengingly before finishing the rest. "'Twas not strong but sweet," he says, holding up his cup for more. "I like 'wine'. Prithee, another?"

"Maybe you're not a completely stupid fish then," Kurogane relents, refilling the mer's cup. Then he grabs another glass and fills it, passing it over to Syaoran. "You have some too; since you didn't get to drink at the tavern."

Accepting the tumbler, Syaoran nods. "If you don't mind."

"Try not to get too drunk this time," he mutters.

A platter of food and three glasses in, and Syaoran suddenly goes up to the mer and says seriously, "Fai-san, I promise I'll do my best to teach you."

Confused, Fai smiles. "My thanks."

"We'll start with reading and writing then!" the boy exclaims, waving around his empty glass. "You use a pen like this!"

Taking the tumbler out of his hands, Kurogane huffs. "What did I say? You can resume your lesson tomorrow, now off to bed with you."

"But, Kurogane-san, what about _vowels_?" Syaoran protests, eyes half-lidded and his movements sluggish and uncoordinated.

He picks the boy up with one hand and handing Fai the rest of the bottle, he makes his way over to the door. "You stay put. I'll be back after I put this drunk to bed," he tells the other.

When he returns, he finds Fai holding an empty bottle and arches a brow. The mer merely tells him, "I like wine."

"So I see. That was the last of it, so there's nothing left to do but sleep—assuming you sleep at all. I'm staying in this room, so no funny business, you hear?" he warns, pulling up his chair and plopping himself down in it.

"No funny business," Fai repeats, and he smiles in a way that makes Kurogane both curious and dreadful about the kinds of comebacks the mer will be able to come up with once he expands his vocabulary.

Crossing his arms, he leans back and mutters, "We'll talk more in the morning."

"Ay, in the morning."

After a moment, he cracks open an eye to take a quick glance at the mer only to find his back turned towards him, resting on the other edge of the tank. With the stormy skies outlining Fai's profile, Kurogane wonders what kind of expression the other's making as he watches the balcony doors, still buffeted by the rain and rattling from the wind.

The storm must seem so much louder out of the sea.

Then above it all, softly, Kurogane hears Fai speak, his voice just barely above a whisper, "In thy slumber, mayest thou at least hast good dreams."

Closing his eye again, he plays the mer's last sentence over and over again in his head, wondering if he dreamt up the nostalgia behind those words.

* * *

A/N:It's not a complete TRC fic unless there's a drunk!Syaoran and a daddy!Kurogane!

One of my favourite lines from Fai is his sleep line to Ashura in chapter 2, and it frustrates me that it doesn't always translate well. It's「せめて、眠りの中では良い夢を」which more or less becomes, "At the very least, in your sleep, may you have good dreams." Depending on which translation you read, the meaning is completely lost sometimes and I just... But enough of that. Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!


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